Filing equipment



Dec. 2l, 1943.

E. KERN l 2,337,393'

FILING EQUIPMENT Original Filed Oct. 18. 1939 iVm/Vm? n ffm ,AW

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Patented Dec. 21, 1943 UNITED STATS PATENT OFFlC FILING EQUIPMENT Emil Kern, Long Island City, N. Y., assigner to Acco Products, Inc., Long Island City, N. Y., a corporation of New York Claims. (Cl. l.t5-2) This invention is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 299,950, led October 18,

1939, which matured into Patent No. 2,252,402,

proved means for mounting said units in a cabinet or the like.

Large drawings, maps, samples and the like are not easily filed and maintained accessible in some types of filing equipment because frequently such drawings, maps, etc., must be filed horizontally in a stack. The application of which this is a division discloses and claims ling equipment consisting of a ling cabinet or open rack having tiltable hanger arms to receive and support removable suspension members from which drawings, maps and the like are suspended. The instant disclosure is concerned with non-tiltable hanger arms embodying structural and functional improvements over that type of filing equipment.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide ling equipment with novelly constructed durable, simple, eicient and inexpensive filing units to facilitate suspension or vertical ling.

Further objects are to provide novelly constructed tubular hanger arms and novel detachable mounting means for said arms so as to facilitate quick and efficient hanging of sheet suspension members associated therewith.

Another object is to provide a filing unit with tubular hanger arms novelly mounted at one end to insure retention of said arms in a substantially horizontal plane irrespective of the weight of the material carried by the associated removable sheet suspension members.

The foregoing and such other objects of the invention as will appear hereinafter as the description proceeds, will be more readily understood from a perusal of the following specification, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a cabinet showing, in elevation, one embodiment of the improved filing unit mounted therein.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional plan view, taken substantially on line 2'2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the filing unit, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing a modified form of tubular hanger arm mounting, the sheet suspension member being illustrated in elevation.

liig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a cabinet showing, in elevation, a modified form of hanger arm.

Throughout the description like numerals identify corresponding parts of the drawing.

The improved ling units disclosed in the accompanying drawing preferably are mounted within a cabinet II. The filing unit illustrated in the embodiment shown in Figs. l to 3 inclusive, includes a hanger arm I2 and a sheet suspension member I3. In use, a sheet suspension member is telescopically associated with a hanger arm for ready insertion or withdrawal through a door opening usually provided in the front wall of the cabinet Il. Means to support a plurality of hanger arms within the cabinet' preferably is provided in the form of a transversely extending support I4 secured to or near the rear wall of the cabinet and which, in this embodiment, is substantially U-shaped in section for a purpose to be explained as the description proceeds..

A vertical reinforcing web I5, formed on the upper side of the hanger arm I2, terminates at its rear end in oppositely disposed flanges I9 for engagement in the U-shaped support whereby the hanger arms are firmly mounted in place. It should be evident upon viewing Fig. 2, that one wall of the U-shaped support Ill is vertically slotted at intervals to receive the flanged rear ends of a plurality of ribs I5. Accordingly, any desired number of hanger arms may be mounted within the cabinet and said arms may be repositioned at will. Obviously the support I4 could be formed of two closely spaced apart bars instead of the U-shaped member shown.

Although the hanger arm I2 andV its rib I5 may be constructed in any suitable manner, it is preferable that it consist of a substantially rectangular sheet of stiff material, such as for eX- ample sheet steel, folded medially longitudinally to provide the rib I5 with two thicknesses of material. When folded, its complemental free longitudinal marginal edge portions are arched outwardly away from each other and then downwardly inwardly each to define one-half of the tubular hanger arm body I2. When constructed in this manner, a longitudinal slot Il is defined by the free inwardly turned edges of the arched portions.

The suspension member I3 preferably is formed also from a stiff sheet of material such as metal, cardboard, fabric composition or the like, having its upper marginal edge portion rolled to provide a tubular or beaded longitudinal edge I8. Said edge is adapted to have a free sliding fit within the tubular body of a related hanger arm l2 when the former is telescoped therein through the cabinet opening. The remaining or iiat body portion IS of the sheet suspension member depends downwardly through the slot I'I and has one or more detachable fastener elements 2I thereon provided to securely clamp or bind sheets 22 thereto. Obviously, any practicable type of detachable fastener or clamp other than' the one illustrated may be used and if the files are made for permanent filing, rivets, staples or other attaching means may be employed.

When a plurality of suspension members are contained in one cabinet, their removal and insertion is facilitated by providing suitable tab receptacles 23 on each member and on the cabinet, as at 24, to receive index tabs. Instant return of a suspension member onto its hanger arm is thereby made easy and the possibility of confusion resulting from inadvertent filing is materially minimized.

In the device illustrated in Fig. 4, the tubular hanger arm I2a also is formed with a slot I'I in its bottom wall for reception of the suspension member I3. A mounting aperture 25 is provided in the top wall of said arm, adjacent its rear end, to receive a supporting lug 26 preferably struck out from a rear support Illa carried on oi near the back wall of the cabinet II. In this structure the hanger arm may be removed readily and, when in place, it is held substantially horizontally through co-action of aperture 25 and hook 26 and abutment between the arm end and support Illa.

The bottom wall of the tubular hanger arm I2b, illustrated in Fig. 5, also is slotted longitudinally to receive the suspension member I3. Its rear end portion 2'I is turned downwardly to provide a pivotal mounting when inserted through an opening in a rear support Mb. The hanger arm is supported substantially horizon# tally preferably by a'cable 28 having one end secured to the` forward arm end and its other end to the rear wall from the cabinet I I as shown. It shouldV be obvious that the mounting of the hanger arm I2b is such as to permit substantially free pivotal movement of the hanger arm in a horizontal plane so as to afford ready access to any one of a plurality' of such hanger arms should the latter be mounted close together with-4 in the cabinet II.

The iiling equipment described provides a simple, inexpensive, compact and convenient system which may be utilized for vertical or suspension ling or storage of any number of sheets or the like. Although various embodiments of the improved structure have been disclosed in the accompanying drawing and described in the foregoing specification in detail, it is to be understood that the invention disclosed may embrace a variety of details without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. I claim:

1. In a filing device, in combination, a support substantially U-shaped in section having a slot in one of its walls, a tubular arm having an externalV reinforcing web, means on one end of said web to extend through said slot and engage in said support to mount the arm substantially horizontally, and a substantially rectangular sheet Vsuspension member having one marginal edge portion telescoped into said arm, the arm having a longitudinal slot on its bottom wall through which said sheet suspension member depends.

2.. In a filing device, in combination, a support, a tubular arm, an external longitudinal reinforcing web on said arm,v said web increasing in depth as it approaches one arm end, means on the web at said arm end to engage means in said support to mount the arm substantially horizontally, and a sheet suspension member telescoped into the other end of said arm.

3. In a filing device, in combination, a sup; port, a tubular arm having an external longitudinal web anda longitudinal slot diametrically opposed to said web, means on said web to engage means in said support for detachably mounting the arm substantially horizontally, and asheet suspension member telescoped into said arm and depending through said slot.

4. A hanger arm comprising a substantially stiff sheet longitudinally folded along a medial line to provide a body of two material thicknesses and having its complemental free longitudinal mar-,-` gins arched'outwardly away from each other and then 'downwardly and inwardly to define a sub-V stantially tubular portion longitudinally slotted on its lower wall.

5. A hanger arm comprising a substantially stiff sheet longitudinally folded along a medial line to provide'a flat body of two material thiol;-v nesses having its complemental free longitudinal margins arched outwardly away from each other and then downwardly and inwardly to define a substantially tubular portion longitudinally slotted on its lower wall, said fiat body portion extending beyond one end of the tubular portion and having its walls spread apart at said end to define lateral flanges disposed at right angles to the plane of the body.

' EMIL KERN. 

